EWS Group MoversSuite (223 × 62 px) (1)

Moving Words – Consumer

Written by Timothy Brady.

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” – Michael LeBoeuf

The best source of information we have on-site to teach consumers about moving is the Van Operator. Ask most people who have relocated who moved them; they’ll usually remember the Van Operator’s name before they remember your agency’s. While the salesperson keeps the customer informed on what’s involved in the move, the Van Operator spends much more time one-on-one with each shipper than anyone else in the moving industry. An ill-prepared Van Operator can cause extensive, long-lasting harm to a move relationship, whereas a well-trained and informed Van Operator is an agency’s and van line’s most important customer service asset.

But even the finest trained and informed Van Operator is no better than the customer service support which stands behind him. True customer service is a well-oiled, consumer-educating machine.

In moving, the action that’s synonymous with customer service and consumer education is communication. The more informed your customers are kept with what’s happening regarding their move, the happier your consumers will be. The worst scenario is a customer left in the dark until the last minute, leaving him/her much less time to respond to the situation. Or the customer is not told anything, and left to discover the incident, whether breakage, forgotten or lost items, property damage, or unexpected charges, on his own. This creates a situation where the consumer is more likely to feel cheated. If the consumer’s not getting what he needs, then the consumer’s not happy, and if the consumer’s not happy, then nobody’s happy. Even under the worst possible situation, a van fire or accident, keeping the communication avenues open and flowing will lessen the blow to everyone involved, especially the shipper. This is true for a total catastrophe; just think how it will help in the smallest of mistakes.

Time is one of our most precious commodities in the moving business, yet more of it is wasted because someone failed to communicate honestly with a customer about the reality of a situation. The fact is, moving requires human involvement. Whenever a human is associated with an activity there will be mistakes, delays, or the unexpected. Murphy’s Law states, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” The Moving Murphy’s Law would be, “If there’s a salesperson, move coordinator, dispatcher, Van Operator, shipper, or mechanical device involved, something is likely to go wrong.” The reason the possibility exists is the human element. Again, the most important human element in regards to success or failure, is communication. Think of it in terms of passing a message around a table of six people. The content of the message and hence the meaning, is completely different to the sixth person hearing it than what was said and meant by the first person who started the message on its path. In reality, it doesn’t make any difference if those six people are sitting around a table playing a game, or if the shipper tells the salesperson, who tells the move coordinator, who explains it to the dispatcher, who then passes it on to the Van Operator. The misunderstandings in communication can be the same; it’s the effects on your customer service that become costly.

The solution to misunderstandings that lead to a growing list of mistakes and ultimately an unhappy consumer, is simple. Create a system that allows all parties in the communication chain to converse with one another. The salesperson needs to communicate directly with the driver as to what the shipper’s needs are on the load. But at the same time, the move coordinators and dispatchers need to be included in the loop. Remember Van Operators are in the trenches; they’re on the front line. This puts them in position to ascertain unexpected changes: the unpredictability of weather, road conditions, mechanical failures and the inevitable ‘Oops.’ The shippers should also communicate changes in their move-related plans directly to the Van Operator that could affect the pick-up or delivery of their shipment, providing ample time for everybody to adjust accordingly. Think in terms of the Van Operator being your eyes and ears as to what’s going on with a move. It’s equally important for him to continually keep not only dispatch informed, but the move coordinator and salesperson on the progress of the load and all situations that could affect pick-up, delivery or transit of the load. The other people who need to be included in this communication loop when those inevitable ‘Oops’ happen are the safety director of the agency and the person handling claims.

The secret to the success of your customer communications program will be measured by how informed your customer is ‘as-it-happens’ to the unexpected events that occur in the transport of his shipment; and how quickly the Van Operator communicates the situation back to the agency, providing time for a solution to the newly-developed situation. Keep all concerned parties completely updated on circumstances as they develop, and then be sure everyone is in concert for the solution; especially the shipper. Any solution which fails to include the shipper and Van Operator’s input in the decision-making process will constantly place your relationship with your customer at risk. This is because any decision must be acceptable to the shipper and it must be feasible for the Van Operator.

The hardest part of creating a successful customer communication network is being painfully honest with your customers. Example: When an event creates a delay, you’re immediately in contact with your customer about that event, with proposed solutions. While no one wants to be the bearer of bad news, the sooner you inform your customer of what’s going on regarding his shipment, the less it will have a negative impact on your business relationship with this consumer. But hide the situation for even a small amount of time, and when the customer discovers your lack of transparency, the effect can be devastating to future business.

The more your customers trust you, and realize regardless of the circumstances, good or bad, they’re first in knowing the state of their shipments, the better your bottom line. And what’s better than an ebullient consumer boasting about—er, educating other consumers concerning his/her positive moving experience?

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